Stuck in France towing boat. Awful chunking from underneath!

Ian M in France said:

I hate working on gearboxes, always get so far and the panic starts, this is never going to all go back in the same place it came from, but there seems to be a gearbox god somewhere watching over me. Auto I would not know where to start

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In the old days I used to spend a lot of time laying things out in strict order on huge big flat surfaces, making copious notes. Now I pick up my trusty digital camera.
Vividly recall what seemed like the Chinese puzzle of selectors for one box, wrote down how to do it, once I'd got it done, with very strict admonitions to myself not to forget this and that, and not to try X when only Y will work.
But I'm like you with autos. They seem like witchcraft!
Doesn't help I don't like autos anyway. Although I have to say the TD5 box seems pretty good. Just feel less skilled driving one, and I love double declutching. Heeling and toeing, all that stuff. (I may grow up one day.) Not that there is much point doing that on a Disco 1 or 2, .

lynall said:

Not only that, but Iirc it is illegall for a UK citizen to drive a non UK regd foreign plated car in the UK?

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Also could not tow that trailer in France with a French registered car as above I think 750kg trailer needs to be registered and would have its own number plate (different from the car) and its own insurance

Ian M in France said:

Also could not tow that trailer in France as above I think 750kg trailer needs to be registered and would have its own number plate (different from the car) and its own insurance

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It's own "carte grise" just seems bonkers to us Brits, don't it?!
We get away with ours as we never stay longer than 180 days over there.

If it were mine i would be suspicious of how they worked out what was wrong. Gearbox failure on a car towing a b*at ship is a natural thought beause of the additional stress.

I assume the clicking only happens when the car is moving. If so, does it still click with the gearbox in neutral when its rolling forwards coasting?

Could the boat sail across the channel?
Will the car fit on the boats trailer?
Can you hire a car with a tow bar?
Could lz international rescue tow it in relay to help the breakdown company?

Just thinking...

Stanleysteamer said:

It's own "carte grise" just seems bonkers to us Brits, don't it?!
We get away with ours as we never stay longer than 180 days over there.

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As long as car has UK plates not a problem, I know people that keep the car registered in UK just because of that, I registered our ifor williams out here but they are the only people that will do a c of c for a trailer and without that it is very hard

Hippo said:

If it were mine i would be suspicious of how they worked out what was wrong. Gearbox failure on a car towing a b*at ship is a natural thought beause of the additional stress.

I assume the clicking only happens when the car is moving. If so, does it still click with the gearbox in neutral when its rolling forwards coasting?

Could the boat sail across the channel?
Will the car fit on the boats trailer?
Can you hire a car with a tow bar?
Could lz international rescue tow it in relay to help the breakdown company?

Just thinking...

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Can not tow it unless you use non French car or maybe with trade plates, If the boat and trailer went on low loader would be okay

Sounds like the center support bearing for the rear prop has failed.

Not uncommon, to be fair if an Autobox made noises like that I doubt it wouldn't drive particularly well

Torque converters do self destruct and turn themselves into lots of bits of sheet metal so they would sound tinny. They fatigue if worked hard and this one is quite old so its a possible. Box has to come out to get to it, the outer is bolted to a plate on the flywheel and the inner is on the gearbox input shaft.

rob1miles said:

Torque converters do self destruct and turn themselves into lots of bits of sheet metal so they would sound tinny. They fatigue if worked hard and this one is quite old so its a possible. Box has to come out to get to it, the outer is bolted to a plate on the flywheel and the inner is on the gearbox input shaft.

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The converter is always spinning so if there was terminal failure internally it would be audible all the time..

The GM5L40 lock up clutch does fail, however the issue is only apparent when driving

As a rep, had a Mk 3 Cortina 1600 Auto. It started driving very funny, had to really nurse it, but it did drive, sort of.
Took it to the company's tame garage where the guy told me the "flexplate" had gone. I asked him if it could have been down to my driving, he said "no".
So he took it out and gave it to me to show my boss, who thought it was all my fault.
It was in two pieces. How the heck it still drove I don't know, but then I know nothing about auto boxes.
It made me laugh so much I kept it in my brief case for ages!
Don't know how much of what anyone told me was true, but it got me out of a hole!

Henry_b said:

Sounds like the center support bearing for the rear prop has failed.

Not uncommon, to be fair if an Autobox made noises like that I doubt it wouldn't drive particularly well

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Easy to take oft, as a process of elimination, so he can test drive it without it fitted?

Hippo said:

If it were mine i would be suspicious of how they worked out what was wrong. Gearbox failure on a car towing a b*at ship is a natural thought beause of the additional stress.

I assume the clicking only happens when the car is moving. If so, does it still click with the gearbox in neutral when its rolling forwards coasting?

Could the boat sail across the channel?
Will the car fit on the boats trailer?
Can you hire a car with a tow bar?
Could lz international rescue tow it in relay to help the breakdown company?

Just thinking...

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Hi...
Thanks for all the messages..
Yes, the clonking still happened when coasting in neutral... I remember dropping it into neutral rolling up to the tolls & the noise was so loud then...

Update: Gearbox totally gone... A right mess.. No drive at all and grinding when put it back to park & all kinds if alarms on the dash.
AA won't recover the boat but Will get the truck and myself back to UK.
Gonna put a new box in the old Gal.. Any suggestions please for a place that'll do it? South of UK.
Thanks!

RanjRova said:

Update: Gearbox totally gone... A right mess.. No drive at all and grinding when put it back to park & all kinds if alarms on the dash.
AA won't recover the boat but Will get the truck and myself back to UK.
Gonna put a new box in the old Gal.. Any suggestions please for a place that'll do it? South of UK.
Thanks!

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grinding when going into park suggests transfer box prop or rear diff have lost drive not g /box would explain the pinging in the prop tube

jamesmartin said:

grinding when going into park suggests transfer box prop or rear diff have lost drive not g /box would explain the pinging in the prop tube

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That is what Ian from Bristol Transmissions just told me!

RanjRova said:

That is what Ian from Bristol Transmissions just told me!

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park is a pawl locking in a castlated wheel so if theres no solid link to wheels on the ground box will still rotate and you get grinding as you try park you get the same effect with t box in neutral or props off

Maybe front prop splines if the recall wasn't done on it?

New video...
Drive shaft..

Glad to see peeps are all over this now.
Best of luck
Stan

RanjRova said:

New video...
Drive shaft..

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as mentioned front shaft was an issue and would cause similar symptoms